next

Execute Next Task

Execute pending tasks from .claude/work/ACTIVE_WORK work unit.

Arguments: $ARGUMENTS

Modes

• --preview: List available tasks
• --status: Show progress (completed/pending/blocked)
• --task TASK-ID: Execute specific task
• --parallel N: Execute N independent tasks concurrently
• --parallel auto: Execute all independent tasks (max 5)
• (no args): Execute next pending task

Process

1. Load State: Read ACTIVE_WORK, verify state.json exists with status planning_complete or implementing

2. Find Tasks: Query state.json for pending tasks with satisfied dependencies

3. Execute:

   • Single task: Work directly on the task
   • Parallel: Launch Task agents concurrently (single message with multiple Task tool calls)

4. Validate: Run tests, verify acceptance criteria met

5. Update State: Mark task completed in state.json, update current_task

6. Commit: Create atomic commit with task ID and description

Parallel Execution

For --parallel, find independent tasks (no unmet dependencies), launch as concurrent Task agents:

• Each agent gets: task ID, title, description, acceptance criteria
• Collect results, update state for each
• Handle partial failures gracefully (some succeed, some fail)

State File Format

{
  "status": "implementing",
  "current_task": "TASK-003",
  "tasks": [
    {"id": "TASK-001", "title": "...", "status": "completed", "dependencies": []},
    {"id": "TASK-002", "title": "...", "status": "pending", "dependencies": ["TASK-001"]}
  ]
}

Error Handling

• No active work unit → "Run /explore first"
• No state.json → "Run /plan first"
• All tasks blocked → Show blocked reasons
• Partial parallel failure → Complete successful tasks, report failures